psycho

Cast

Janet Leigh - Marion Crane
Vera Miles - Lila Crane
John Gavin - Sam Loomis
Anthony Perkins - Norman Bates
John McIntire - Sherriff Al Chambers
Pat Hitchcock - Caroline
Martin Balsam - Milton Arbogast
Mort Mills - highway Patrolman

Voted no.1 in a recent AFI poll of the top 100 thrillers, I view this to be not only one of the influential films ever made but quite possibly THE BEST FILM EVER MADE (so outta the way, Citizen Kane). Never before has a film spoke to me in such a way that Psycho has; quite simply it is a pure masterpiece of visual and aural film style. I must say that my tastes fall within the canonical and I love the work of director Alfred Hitchcock, and his other films Vertigo, Rear Window and Strangers on a Train are among my fave films of all time.

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This is arguably Hitchcock's most famous suspense/horror story, and marks a break from his previous big budget tecnhicolour productions such as North By Northwest and Vertigo. Despite a notable cast including and Martin Balsam and Vera Miles, the film's biggest star was of course the late Janet Leigh, and it was the storyline surrounding her character that was to prove most shocking both to 1960s audiences and future cinema goers for years to come.

Stuck in a dead end job and a boyfriend with a useless business, office employee Marion Crane takes the opportunity to escape by stealing $40,000 from her employer. On the lam, she ditches her old car and, after a brief impromptu grilling from a highway patrolman, finally diverts from the main highway.
After a long and tiring drive, just when things can't get any worse, it starts to rain. She pulls over at the quiet Bates Motel, where she encounters its's equally quiet yet troubled owner...

But is that really everything? In this sense, it's these elements that what makes Psycho such an enduring classic; multiple viewings are necessary if one is to capture all its subtlety, and then that still isn't enough! The film's premise is a bold and interesting one: follow the girl and the money, kill the girl, lose the money, then start an altogether different story. What else can I say? I wanted to provide a thorough review of it here but that would spoil the fun. In Hitchcock's own words, used for the publicity of the film - "don't give away the ending, its the only one we have!". For those of you who have seen it, you may know about the many qualities that have caused this film to have an impact on the horror/thriller genre since its inception, this making it one of the most influential films of the last 45 years. All I have to say is - see this film for yourselves and solve the mystery of the missing $40,000...!

Incidentally, if you're studying this film (for example,for Film A2 level or as part of a university course), an excellent and authoritative point of reference is Raymond Durgnat's excellent book, "A Long, Hard Look at Psycho" published by the BFI. It does mainly what it says on the front cover and takes the reader through each stage of the film, and even in the case of the famous shower scene, shot by shot - yes, its that detailed! It's even available to order from the lovely peeps at WHSmith.co.uk .

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